A dog tale for the ages: Thief steals adored Chihuahua mix on Saturday, relentless owner takes him back Sunday

Jess Gary’s dog Fidel was snatched Saturday morning in Prospect Park. Dog and owner were reunited Sunday when she and a friend snatched him back off the street.

An adored senior Chihuahua mix was stolen Saturday and snatched back Sunday in a bizarre Brooklyn dognap tale.

Jess Gary’s dog was snatched Saturday morning in Prospect Park, where she’d taken Fidel, a 15-pound, 15-year-old pooch. and her other Chihuahua mix, Tito, 10.

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Gary’s back was turned as Fidel enjoyed running free during the park’s off-leash hours.

“I heard [Fidel] behind me yelp, and when I turned he was gone,” Gary, 37, of Crown Heights, told the Daily News. “There’s generally a lot of people there during that time and it’s very populated. It’s just a shock that somebody did this in broad daylight.”

Gary embarked on a two-day search for Fidel. She and a friend drove around Brooklyn looking for him. On Sunday afternoon, they focused on the Gowanus area after a woman said she’d spotted Fidel there around 1 p.m.

“We had been targeting our [postings] in that area all day," Gary told The News. "We were literally about to pack it in for the night and we were getting in the car and I looked across the street and I saw him.”

They were near the Atlantic Center — north of Gowanus proper, near the edges of Fort Greene and Park Slope — where they saw Fidel at 6 p.m. with two strangers.

“A woman was walking him, and my friend just snuck up behind her and grabbed the leash out of her hands," Gary said.

“He’s very hot and panting and I think just generally in shock but now he’s begging for treats so he seems back to normal," Gary said. "I’m just so happy. I was trying to stay positive but it seemed like a needle in a haystack.”

Gary said the police probably won’t pursue the original thief because the dog was returned.

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“I feel bad if they thought we stole their dog, but the flyers were everywhere," Gary said. "I don’t know how they couldn’t have known.”